Bearcats to Compete at OSU High Performance Meet on Friday

By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director, (503) 370-6110

SALEM, Ore. -- A total of 12 Willamette University track and field athletes will be competing in running events at the OSU High Performance Meet on Friday, May 1 at the Whyte Track & Field Center in Corvallis, Oregon. Running events will begin at 4 p.m. (PDT). Seven athletes on the WU women's team will be participating, along with five runners from the Bearcat men's team.

In the women's sprints, Kylea Johnson (Jr., Onalaska WA/Onalaska HS) will run in the 100-meter dash, while Maura Forbush (So., Hollister, CA/San Benito HS) will compete in the 400-meter dash.

Three Bearcats -- Michaela Freeby (Sr., Milwaukie, OR/Rex Putnam HS), Olivia Mancl (So./Fr., Seattle, WA/Roosevelt HS) and Hannah Swanson (Fr., Seattle, WA/Roosevelt HS) -- will be involved in the 1,500-meter run. Mancl is 13th in NCAA Division III in the 1,500 this season with a personal record time of 4:34.71.

Hannah Bressler (Jr., Oak Harbor, WA/Oak Harbor HS) will compete in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. She is currently ranked 17th in Division III in the steeplechase at 10:59.31. Juliet Farnan (Jr., Lafayette, CA/Campolindo HS) will represent the Bearcats in the 5,000-meter run.

For the Bearcat men's team, Parris Joyce (Jr., Portland, OR/Catlin Gabel School) will participate in the 800-meter run. Jacob Shafi (Jr., Pleasanton, CA/Amador Valley HS), Daniel Swanson (Sr., Seattle, WA/Roosevelt HS) and Forrest Smith (Fr., Crested Butte, CO/Crested Butte Comm. School) will all compete in the men's 1,500-meter run.

Also for Willamette, Yonny Castillo (Jr., Parkdale, OR/Hood River Valley HS) will enter the 5,000-meter run.

The OSU High Performance Meet will feature more than 700 athletes from throughout the nation.